The Bridge
by Rikkamaru
Summary: A bridge between the Old and New World; a bridge between the physical and magical. And now the builder of a bridge between this world and the next. MPreg, no yaoi. Part 1 of "The Gate and Its Keepers" triad.


Don't own Hetalia.

The Bridge

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><p>Arthur looked around warily as he stood before two featureless pillars. Everything around him was a blank white, the pillars a dull grey and even the floor a clean slate beneath his feet. A single eye gazed at him in the space between the two pillars. The eye gazed at him a moment longer before relaxing into a half-lidded state.<p>

A voice echoed in the nation's head. **England**,it began. **Voyager of distant lands, living bridge between the Old and New Worlds. You have been chosen to carry a new legacy, a branch of science that will fail in one world and flourish in another.**

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked, his tone suspicious.

**Do you know of the other worlds that exist, little island? Of the worlds that once were, that never will be, and yet still are?**

"Of course. I know of the magical, the apocalyptic, the parallel, the alternate." Arthur bristled a little under the assumed condescension the being felt toward him.

**Correct.** The voice sounded pleased. **I am not yet of this world, for I am the Gate of a world that is yet to be. I will be the bridge between this world and the next, and my creation will lead to an alternate world, where Alchemy shall prosper where it has failed in your world. Each death in your world will be used as energy to perform alchemy in the alternate world. But this will only come to pass when I am created and thus, I require your assistance.**

England looked at the eye in confusion as a growing dread formed in his chest. "_My_ assistance? What could I possibly do to help?"

**I need you, England, to carry me within yourself, so that I may build up my power to complete the bridge.**

"You can't! People would notice!" England knew he was grasping at straws, but he couldn't stop the need to protect himself.

**All of your fellow countries are too distracted by their Enlightenment to notice if you become more isolated for a set amount of time. You do not need to worry about someone knowing of my resting in you.**

"Why _me_? Why should _I_ be the carrier?"

The eye widened slightly at the raw power and emotion in the island nation's voice before it slowly became half-mast again. **You are immersed within the magic of your land and people, young Kirkland. The power you harness within your body will ensure both my survival and yours. Only your power can see to the successful construction of the Gate.**

The eye softened slightly at him. **Do not fear, Britain. Another of you countries has already successfully given birth to one of my countries that is yet to be. And another still will bring one of my own to life as well. Both are needed as Gatekeepers, to regulate the flow of energy through me.**

"So there is no other choice?" Arthur asked sadly.

**There is no other that can accept me within their body**, the Gate agreed.

"Then I accept."

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><p>The months of caring for the growing Gate went by slowly and yet quickly still. No body formed in his stomach, but the buildup of power indicated a growing entity within him. He slept more, the leeching of his power making him lethargic.<p>

Dreams never came, however, and he instead sat in front of the two pillars in his "dream world", watching the Gate as it was slowly built before his very eyes. Decorations were being carved into the stone pillars and wood was slowly branching between the two stones, forming a door. The space between the pillars was darkening as well, the souls of the deceased forming a void to connect the two worlds.

The Gate itself would talk to him occasionally, telling him about the alchemy the humans would perform and the science behind it. **Only time, space, and life are truly mine to control with alchemy**, it once said. **It is impossible for the dead to be brought back to life; the price is simply too high. Space manipulation is achievable but the diagram for it is too complex for humans to realize on their own.**

"What of time?"

**Time is too tenuous for humans to handle. Even as I speak to you, time is stopped and slowed and manipulated so that everything falls into the correct place. Paradoxes must be created in order to reach stability at times, but humans are not able to understand this.**

Arthur nodded in agreement to this and stroked his heart where two of the same muscle beat in unison in his chest. He hummed softly to himself, and watched as the top frame for the Gate formed, rose vines and dragons carved into the stone work.

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><p>The day the Gate was finished building will forever be ingrained in England's memory. He had been resting in the cellar of his house (light had slowly begun to pain his eyes more and more) when he felt his heart seize up.<p>

He woke up with an incoherent scream, thrashing blindly in his dais and coughing up blood. When the pain was finally over, he blacked out only to arrive before the finished Gate. It was intimidating in its size, the frame the only thing "beautiful" about it as the door depicted past and future scenes of human cruelty and oppression. But to England, who was by in essence its mother, the entirety of the passageway between the alchemic and scientific was magnificent.

A child appeared before Arthur then. The young boy appeared to be eight or nine, with hair the same shade as the Roman Empire's. A purple and acid green eye stared into England's own eyes, and he quirked his lips into a small smile. "I see you are finished. And that you picked up a bit from my memories."

**Indeed.** The voice echoed like a thousand voices, all of them pleased. **I will begin my life as the Gateway, the ferryman between this world and the next. You have cared for me and ensured the survival of an entire world and for that, I thank you.**

The boy turned to leave, and Arthur stepped forward. "Wait…" The child stopped. "Just…don't be afraid to visit me, alright? You're like my child to me now."

The Gate hesitated for a moment, before turning and offering Arthur a small smile. **I will keep that in mind. Good-bye, Mum.**

The boy walked through the gate, the doors slamming shut behind him, and England woke up in the dark cellar, tear tracks on his face. The blonde sighed, and stood.

Well, time to rejoin the rest of the world.

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><p>So, this is the beginning of a little triad of one-shots I'm making, called "The Gate and Its Keepers". Three different nations will give birth to three different entities. Obviously, England made the Gate. Anyone's free to guess who the other two nations or entities are. Hope you liked it.<p>

Please review.

Ja ne!


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